So several million E Coli evolve in a jar....

           A group of scientists were experimenting with evolution.  He and his coworkers had several jars of E Coli growing in isolated conditions in their lab.  They were using a limited amount of glucose as food.  The colonies have been growing in a set of 12 flasks for about 25 years.  Suddenly, flask number 3 fogged up with all of the bacteria suddenly growing in it.  The bacteria had evolved to eat citrate.  This ability is common in other types of bacteria but not in E Coli.  E Coli has not had the ability to eat citrate since the Miocene epoch.

           The scientists then wanted to see the reason why this happened.  They found out that the bacteria had developed the ability to eat citrate about a year before they went crazy.  The following mutations refined the ability so it was a viable resource to use.  This came about because the dormant gene that activates the ability to eat citrate was duplicated multiple times along the dna and became active.

NOS themes:

1. Science is collaborative
2. Science is based on evidence
3. Role of chance
4. Role of curiosity

Link: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/345247/description/E_coli_caught_in_the_act_of_evolving

Tristin Stanley Hr 3 Gabel